Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Suspected US Airstrike Targets Al-Shabab in Somalia

by Abdulaziz Osman

   The government of Somalia said its forces, in coordination with a
   suspected U.S. airstrike, killed a number of al-Shabab militants.
   The government said President Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo authorized a
   coordinated strike with international partners against militants in the
   Jilib area, in southern Somalia.
   "Our security forces killed seven militants, including a senior
   al-Shabab leader responsible for multiple bombings in Mogadishu," said
   a statement from the Information Ministry released Thursday.
   The statement did not name the senior leader killed in the operation,
   and the U.S. military has yet to comment on the reported attack.
   Witnesses in Jilib told VOA's Somali Service on Thursday that the
   airstrike occurred overnight. They said they heard the sound of
   bombings.
   U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have killed many al-Shabab leaders over the
   past decade, including the group's former emir, Ahmed Abdi Godane.